Co-author: Hawking’s last paper left the information paradox unresolved

What we have done recently is to discover a gap in the mathematics that led to the idea that black holes are totally bald. In 2016, Stephen, Andy and I found that black holes have an infinite collection of what we call “soft hair”. This discovery allows us to question the idea that black holes lead to a breakdown in the laws of physics.

Stephen kept working with us up to the end of his life, and we have now published a paper that describes our current thoughts on the matter. In this paper, we describe a way of calculating the entropy of black holes. The entropy is basically a quantitative measure of what one knows about a black hole apart from its mass or spin.

While this is not a resolution of the information paradox, we believe it provides some considerable insight into it. Further work is needed but we feel greatly encouraged to continue our research in this area. The information paradox is intimately tied up with our quest to find a theory of gravity that is compatible with quantum mechanics.Malcolm Perry, “Black holes and soft hair: why Stephen Hawking’s final work is important” at The Guardian

See also: Stephen Hawking’s final paper, just released, tackled the “information paradox” Looking at his career overall, one wonders whether Stephen Hawking will be seen as the end of an era, one in which naturalism (nature is all there is), often called “materialism,” appeared to work.